Petunia plant named ‘Condoblue’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘Condoblue’, characterized by its outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit; freely branching habit; numerous large double flowers that are purple in color; and good garden performance.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATION

Petunia×hybrida cultivar Condoblue.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petuniaplant, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred toby the cultivar name Condoblue.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The objective of the breedingprogram is to create new outwardly spreading Petunias with numerousdouble flowers with attractive flower colors.

The new Petunia originated from a cross made by the Inventor in April,1999 of an unidentified single-flowered selection of Petunia, notpatented, as the female, or seed parent, with an unidentifiedblue-colored double-flowered selection of Petunia, not patented, as themale, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plantfrom the resulting progeny on Oct. 20, 1999 in Gensingen, Germany, onthe basis of its double and numerous purple-colored flowers.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttingssince November, 1999, taken in Gensingen, Germany has shown that theunique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Condoblue have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, light intensity anddaylength without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Condoblue’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Condoblue’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Outwardly spreading, cascading and uniform plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit.

3. Numerous large double flowers that are purple in color.

4. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the female parent, theunidentified single-flowered selection, in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia have larger flowers than plants of thefemale parent.

2. Plants of the new Petunia have double flowers whereas plants of thefemale parent have single flowers.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the male parent, theunidentified blue-colored double-flowered Petunia selection, in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are more outwardly spreading and not asupright as plants of the male parent.

2. Plants of the new Petunia are more vigorous and more freely branchingthan plants of the male parent.

3. Plants of the new Petunia have better garden performance than plantsof the male parent.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivarKerpril, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/399,874(now abandoned). In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gensingen,Germany, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivarKerpril in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia were more outwardly spreading and not asupright as plants of the cultivar Kerpril.

2. Plants of the new Petunia had larger flowers than plants of thecultivar Kerpril.

3. Plants of the new Petunia had darker purple-colored flowers thanplants of the cultivar Kerpril.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Petunia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof three typical flowering plants of ‘Condoblue’ grown in a 20-cmcontainer.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of atypical flower bud, typical opening flowers, upper and lower surfaces oftypical fully opened flowers, upper surface of a typical developingleaf, and lower and upper surfaces of typical fully expanded leaves of‘Condoblue’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in Bonsall, Calif., in an outdoornursery during the late spring and early summer under full sunconditions with day temperatures ranging from 18 to about 35° C. andnight temperatures ranging from 4 to 18° C. After planting rootedcuttings, plants were grown for about six weeks in 20-cm containers withthree plants per container. Color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Condoblue.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Unidentified single-flowered Petunia×hybrida selection,not patented.

Male parent.—Unidentified blue-colored double-flowered Petunia×hybridaselection, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots, summer and winter.—About 15 days at 20 to 22° C.

Time to develop roots, summer and winter.—About 20 days at 18 to 22° C.

Root description.—Fine; white, close to 155D, in color.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; initially upright, thenoutwardly spreading and trailing; uniform. Freely branching habit withabout 13 lateral branches per plant.

Usage.—Appropriate for hanging baskets, window boxes, patio containersand landscape applications.

Plant height.—About 18 cm.

Plant diameter.—Individual plant: About 28 cm. All three plants: About60 cm.

Vigor.—Vigorous.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 32 cm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm. Internodelength: About 1 to 3 cm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144C.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate before flowering; oppositeafter flowers develop; simple. Quantity per lateral branch: About 24.Length: About 7 cm. Width: About 4.8 cm. Shape: Elliptic, rounded. Apex:Broadly acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Upper surface,smooth; lower surface, pubescent; both surfaces, glandular. Venationpattern: Pinnate, arcuate. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface:143B. Developing leaves, lower surface: 143C. Fully expanded leaves,upper surface: 147A. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: 147B.Venation, upper surface: 144B. Venation, lower surface: 144C. Petiolelength: About 1.5 cm. Petiole diameter: About 4 mm. Petiole color: 144C.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Double salverform flowers; flowers face mostlyupward or outward; axillary. Very freely flowering habit, about one ortwo open flowers and about 10 to 12 flower buds per lateral branch atone time.

Natural flowering season.—Long day responsive; long flowering period,spring until frost in the autumn; flowering continuous during thisperiod. Plants start flowering about four weeks after planting rootedcuttings. Flowers persistent.

Flower longevity on the plant.—About three days.

Fragrance.—None detected.

Flower size.—Diameter: About 7 cm. Tube length: About 3 cm. Throatdiameter, distal end: About 2.5 cm. Tube diameter, proximal end: About 7mm.

Flower buds (showing color).—Length: About 2.2 cm. Diameter: At apex,about 1.7 cm; at base, about 7 mm. Shape: Elongated oblong with ruffledapices. Color: 76B.

Corolla.—Quantity/arrangement: About five or six fused outer petals in asingle whorl, funnelform; interior to the outer whorl, about 14progressively smaller petaloids, variable in size. Petal length fromthroat: About 2.3 cm. Petal width: About 2.7 cm. Petal/petaloid shape:Roughly spatulate or fan-shaped. Petal/petaloid apex: Broadly acute,sinuate; ruffled. Petal/petaloid margin: Entire; ruffled. Petal/petaloidtexture: Smooth, velvety. Color: Petals/petaloids, upper surface, whenopening: 90B to 90C. Petals/petaloids, lower surface, when opening: 91B.Petals/petaloids, upper surface, fully opened: 89C; color fading to 90Dwith subsequent development. Petals/petaloids, lower surface, fullyopened: 85C. Flower throat (inside): 86B. Flower tube (outside): 86C.Venation, upper petal/petaloid surface: 86A. Venation, lowerpetal/petaloid surface: 86B to 86C. Venation, throat: 86A. Venation,tube: 144B.

Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals fused atbase, star-shaped; recurved. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 2 mm.Shape: Strap-like; elongate. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire, sinuate.Texture, both surfaces: Pubescent, glandular. Color, upper and lowersurfaces: 146A.

Peduncles.—Length: About 2.2 cm. Width: About 1 mm. Angle: About 45°from the stem. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144B.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About 20 petaloidstamens. Anther shape: Ovoid. Anther size: About 1 mm by 2 mm. Anthercolor: 148A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 148A. Pistils: Noneobserved.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and/or fruit production has not been observed to date.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been notedto be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Petunia.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to havegood garden performance. Plants of the new Petunia have been noted totolerate temperatures from 5 to 35° C. and have excellent tolerance torain and wind.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named‘Condoblue’, as illustrated and described.